Acts of Knitting and Nerdery

My poor Oaklet Shawl. It has become obvious that I am going to run out of yarn. Despite the pattern’s claim, one skein of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport just isn’t enough to make even the smallest version. Truth be told, I wasn’t so fond of the way the colors were working for this particular pattern, so it’s probably a good thing it’s coming up short. So I’m going to frog it for now, and maybe it’ll become a pair of socks sometime down the road.

Last week was a crazy week. I had been trying to get prequalified to buy a condo, and that financing fell through, which has forced me to rethink my plans. At the same time, I made real progress on some things at work which have been a long time coming, which was immensely satisfying. Throw in tequila cocktails at a happy hour with my co-workers and red wine at a Girls’ Night with some friends, and I was too busy to knit a stitch most of the week.

After an action-packed week of dramatic lows and highs, I was pretty grateful to see the weekend and decided to treat myself to a pedicure, Thai food and a trip to Windy Knitty. To be fair, I did need some yarn for a Very Special Project, so there really was a practical reason to go. But there was no practical reason whatsoever to buy two skeins of Malabrigo Rios in the delightfully whimsical rainbow colorway “Arco Iris”.

Ooh, shiny…

I threw the Malabrigo on the swift and cast on an Amanda Hat as soon as I got home. My knitting needles had a furious swordfight and the next thing I knew I had this:

Yeah, I finished it already. It took less than a day of knitting, super quick pattern. I used some modifications that eliminated an unsightly line of stockinette up the back of the hat, and now I’ve been wearing it all day despite the fact that it’s a warm and sunny day. Yay rainbows!

Also, I have acquired a foam head. I want very badly to attack it with some modge podge and Chinese newsprint.

What’s up next? I have no idea. I’ve started and frogged a matching pair of fingerless mitts three times now. I also have the Very Special Project, but that’s not going to occupy me for very long. Maybe I’ll walk away from the matching mitts and make something with that pink silk/cashmere blend I recycled awhile back. All I know is that I am wearing a cute rainbow-colored hat and my toenails are a dark midnight purple, and that makes me happy.